Holliday’s 4 Hits Not Enough as Schilling, Red Sox Nip Rockies
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Rockies leftfielder Matt Holliday was a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate, but the Rockies only managed 5 hits off of Red Sox pitching as future Hall of Famer Curt Schilling and relievers rookie lefthander Hideki Okajima and closer Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Rockies’ hitters for a tight 2-1 win in game 2 of the world series in Boston.
Schilling, whose 87 mph fastball was a shell of its former self, got through on savvy, finesse, guile and a nasty spitter in mixing up his pitches over 5 1/3 innings. Number 38 held Colorado to 4 hits, 3 by Holliday and their only run which scored in the 1st inning on a hit batsman, Holliday’s single and a ground out. For Schilling who walked 2 and struck out 4, it was his 11th career post-season victory against 2 losses.
Rockies rookie starter Ubaldo Jimenez went toe-to-toe with Schilling over 4 2/3 innings, despite walking 5, before Boston took the lead on 3rd baseman Mike Lowell’s RBI double which scored dh David Ortiz, who had walked and moved leftfielder Manny Ramirez, who had singled, to 3rd base.
AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick recaps the game for Yahoo sports;
“Tonight we played better, we pitched better. We just didn’t get the big hit,” Colorado’s Garrett Atkins said.
The Rockies flashed their speed in the first, one key element that sent them on that incredible surge into the Series.
Schilling hit Willy Taveras on the left hand with a 1-2 pitch and he raced to third when Holliday’s single deflected off the glove of a diving [Mike] Lowell at third.
[Todd] Helton’s RBI groundout put Colorado ahead.
Jimenez seemed to have the Red Sox spooked early on.
The 23-year-old rookie held Boston hitless for three innings with an array of 96 mph fastballs and sharp sliders. He stayed poised, too, calmly taking time to gather himself behind the mound as Boston’s big boppers stepped in.
Jimenez walked two in the third and Ortiz took a shot at Pesky’s Pole, barely missing a three-run homer on a drive that curled just foul. Tied up on a tough slider, Ortiz later fanned for the third out.
But the patient Red Sox started to wear down Jimenez, laying off balls and driving his pitch count up. Soon, they broke through.
Lowell walked with one out in the fourth and J.D. Drew singled to right for Boston’s first hit. Lowell aggressively turned for third and, with a headfirst slide, beat a long throw from strong-armed [Brad] Hawpe that was just off line.
[Jason] Varitek’s sacrifice fly tied it at 1. Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk and stole second, but Jimenez retired Julio Lugo with runners at second and third to end the inning.
Schilling settled in after allowing a run in the first. Twenty days shy of his 41st birthday, he got an inning-ending double play in the second and struck out two in the third. He put the leadoff batter on in the next two innings, but pitched out of trouble.
With two outs in the fifth, Ortiz walked and Manny Ramirez singled before Lowell pulled a 2-1 pitch from losing pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez down the left-field line for a 2-1 Red Sox lead.
Then, the bullpens took over as Colorado held the Red Sox to 3 hits while walking 2 over the final 3 1/3 innings while the Red Sox tandem of Okajima and closer Papelbon gave up one hit in 3 2/3 innings while striking out 6 to preserve the win.
AP’s Fitzpatrick quotes Schilling;
“This was the Pap-ajima show tonight,” Schilling said. “That was just phenomenal to watch.”
The only Rockies hit in the late-going was an 8th inning single by Matt Holliday off of Papelbon, his 4th hit of the game.
AP’s Fitzpatrick describes the hit;
Matt Holliday spun Papelbon off his feet with a shot up the middle for his fourth hit. But the closer got even when he left the NLCS MVP sprawled in the dirt at first base with his first career pickoff.
Yahoo sports’ Tim Brown gives background on the pick-off of Holliday;
Four outs left in a one-run game, the cleanup hitter standing in the batter’s box.
Holliday intended to steal that base in the eighth inning, first pitch, go like hell. The Colorado Rockies had only that left, send Holliday to second base, have Todd Helton find an opening somewhere and somehow, and maybe keep playing for another inning or two.
So Holliday, a 240-pound man who’d accessorized his 36 home runs, 137 RBI and .340 batting average in the regular season with 11 steals, went to sneak a few more inches toward second base.
“I was trying to be aggressive, trying to find a way to get into scoring position,” Holliday said. “I was hoping if I got to second, Todd could find a way to get a single.”
Jonathan Papelbon was unaware.
He was there to get Helton. He looked in at his catcher, Jason Varitek, sure he’d find a fastball. Instead, Varitek was ordering him to throw to first base.
Out there somewhere, a Red Sox scout had seen enough of the Rockies and of Holliday to include this moment in his report. The Rockies will send him. Holliday will go.
A report arrived in Terry Francona’s office. It was passed to bench coach Brad Mills. And with the Red Sox leading 2-1, Holliday singled off second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s glove.
Mills held a sign for Varitek. Varitek made the relay to Papelbon. Papelbon nodded. And Holliday took two steps off first base, shuffled once, and then again.
“In a billion-dollar organization, it does come down to the little things, and … all those guys putting those advance reports together are as much a part of this as the players in some cases.”
Rather than stand, get to his set position and throw immediately to first, Papelbon stalled with the glove and ball at his waist. Holliday leaned out on his right leg. The crowd grew loud, anticipating fastball, knowing Helton as a pretty fair fastball hitter.
“He did a good job of holding the ball against a guy who they might not have had a reason to think was going,” Holliday said. “Obviously, he doesn’t throw over a lot.”
Papelbon jerked his right foot from the rubber, and Holliday knew, and it must have been awful.
“Yeah, I wanted to cry,” he said with mock despair. “No.”
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “He did a good job of holding and going over.”
Holliday lunged toward the bag, his knees churning through the dirt. First baseman Kevin Youkilis tagged Holliday’s hand, arm and shoulder, a foot or more from the base. The Red Sox dashed from the field, and Fenway Park shook, and Holliday brushed the dirt from his uniform and walked slowly into left field. Helton put away his bat and helmet.
While Holliday was the last to know the Red Sox were onto him, Papelbon was only a few seconds ahead.
“I was kind of picking over there just to keep him at first base and not let him get a walking lead,” he said, “and it actually kind of did surprise me, to be honest with you.”
For the boxscores and recap on Thursday’s game, click here.
The series venue switches to Colorado’s Coors Field for Game 3 on Saturday night as well as for games 4 and 5, if necessary, on Sunday and Monday.
I’m far from sure at this point that one can count out the Rockies at this point. The came to play in game 2, their pitching held up well against Boston’s sluggers, but they just couldn’t generate offense. Spacious Coors Field will present a challenge for Big Papi and company.
Boston’s $103 million rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-12) opposes Rockies’ starter Josh Fogg (10-9).
For the boxscores and recap on Sunday’s game, click here.
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